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Sunday, October 28, 2012

World Series Heroes of What The Heck ??!!

anybody out there been watching this terrible, horrible, gnashing World Series? this is no Fall Classic, this is a gen-yoo-wine october surprise !

one would think it's bad enough the Dodgers folded up like run over origami and lost the division to the enemy. nope, that wasn't bad enough. adding oakland bay salt to my blue wounds, the bad guys are now on the verge of sweeping the sleeping tigers. who'da thunk the team with verlander and cabrera would be getting beat in probably every catagory you CAN get beat in?

since i've spent half this WS saying "what the F**k !!??" to my t.v. set, that sounds like a good idea for this, quite possibly the final installment of ATBATT's World Series Heroes, The Heroes of What the Heck ?

1920 World Series, Dodgers/Robins vs. Indians, Game 5. With Dodgers on first and second, Clarence Mitchell is batting for Brooklyn. Mitchell lines out to Cleveland second baseman Bill Wambsganss, who steps on second for the put out, and tags Otto Miller coming in from first.

The crowd was silent at first because they had no idea what the heck they had just seen. they just witnessed the first - and only ever - unassisted triple play in World Series history.

Mitchell continued his run for baseball immortality his next time up by hitting into a double play, thus setting the record for making the most outs -five - in 2 consecutive at-bats. just gotta love those Dodgers.

but this game wasn't done with WTH? moments - Game 5 also featured the first WS grand slam, and first WS HR hit by a pitcher.

next up is WS 1986, mets vs. red sox, and bill buckner is involved. i know, most of you are thinking i'm talking about the little nubber getting through buckners's legs. nope, that would be too easy, and an error isn't REALLY a WTH? moment, is it?

first inning. bill buckner, at this point of the game probably feeling pretty good, standing at bat, and then WTH? happened...

a freakin' parachute dropped (literally) right outta left field ! parachute dude was flying a GO METS sign. i submit exhibit one that jinxed buckner for later that night.

finally, since the bad guys have been providing most of the WTH? moments for this series, let's close with a moment from WS 2002. game 5, s.f. vs. anaheim, or whatever they were called back then. bottom of the 7th, the friscos up 8-4. with giants standing on second and third, kenny lofton hits a triple. snow dashes for home - and then - WTH???

jinx manager dusty baker's son was the bat boy, and while the play was still developing, little dusty ran out on the field to recover lofton's bat. saving everybody from what could have been a very ugly accident/incident/controversy, j.t. snow reached back - after scoring first, of course, and grabbed the kid. it was a WTH? combined with WHEW !

shortly thereafter, the collapse of the friscos was complete and the angels won the series. music to my ears.